Be part of world record float raft

LACONIA -- On Saturday, September 7, at Weirs Beach’s Endicott Rock Park in Laconia, LakeFest attendees will try to capture a Guinness World Record for NH.

LakeFest: Hands Across the Water is a family-friendly educational and entertainment event highlighted by a Guinness World Record attempt for largest raft of canoes and kayaks. The NH Lakes Association (NH LAKES) aims to get 2,000 canoes and kayaks into the waters of Lake Winnipesaukee to break the current record of 1,902 boats.

Online registration is available at www.nhlakefest.org for just $15 per canoe or kayak until August 31st; on September 1st registration increases to $20 per boat. Reasonably priced canoe and kayak rental options are available by pre-registering online; reserved boats will be onsite for pick-up the morning of Saturday, September 7th. All online registrants are automatically entered to win a bounty of great prizes and getaways provided by generous LakeFest supporters.

Through its Lake Host program, NH LAKES has spent the past 12 years inspecting watercraft for plant fragments at boat ramps around the state. With aquatic nuisance species like Asian clams and zebra muscles threatening to invade our waters, NH LAKES needs the public’s help.

The imminent threat of these invasive species is an urgent call to action for NH LAKES and those who love NH’s waters to spread the word about the Clean, Drain, and Dry! protocol. LakeFest 2013, in addition to being a fun-filled day of paddling and Guinness World Record attempting, is also a critical opportunity to share information about the important practice of cleaning, draining, and drying boats to keep NH’s lakes and ponds pristine.

The New Hampshire Lakes Association (NH LAKES) is dedicated to protecting New Hampshire lakes and their watersheds through education and advocacy. Since 2002, hundreds of paid and volunteer Lake Hosts have conducted more than 505,000 courtesy boat inspections and have made more than 1,256 “saves” of aquatic nuisance plant fragments that were about to enter or had just left a waterbody.